Archive for the 'Ilya Bryzgalov' Tag Under 'Ducks' Category

ANAHEIM -- The Ducks and Ilya Bryzgalov parted ways for good on Thursday as the club put him on unconditional waivers, with the veteran goaltender returning to his family on the east coast instead of reporting to the team's American Hockey League team in Norfolk, Va.

Bryzgalov initially accepted an assignment to the Admirals after clearing regular waivers on Monday but chose to head home after Ducks general manager Bob Murray was unable to work a deal, with no other NHL team showing much interest.

The chances of Bryzgalov remaining in the Ducks' plans this season and returning to the team were remote at best, even if he found his game again in Norfolk and became an insurance option again.

"At the beginning of the NHL season, I spent all of my time with my wife and my children,” Bryzgalov said in a statement released by the Ducks. “I drove my son and daughter to their practices and games and enjoyed life. I had no plans to return to the NHL this season until the Ducks reached out to my agent, Ritch Winter.

"I agreed to return because of my respect for the Ducks organization, the quality of the team they had assembled and my long relationship with Bob Murray and the team. Given the way things have worked out, I have decided to return home to be with my wife and children, who did not move with me to Anaheim.

ANAHEIM -- Ilya Bryzgalov cleared waivers Monday but the veteran goaltender's future with the Ducks and the NHL remains murky as the club moved on without him.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray will meet with Bryzgalov and his agent, Ritch Winter, to determine the next course of action the goalie wants to take. Bryzgalov, 34, was waived Sunday and the Ducks called up Jason LaBarbera from Norfolk (Va.) of the American Hockey League.

Bryzgalov clearing waivers was expected by the Ducks as the combination of his poor play and $2.88-million salary cap hit likely killed any interest around the league. The 12-year veteran could accept an assignment to Norfolk but it isn't known if he would.

The Ducks still owe Bryzgalov about $750,000 of the pro-rated $1.9 million they signed to on Dec. 9 if he were to go to Norfolk and play the season out. But Bryzgalov has previously said he was content being at home with his family until a team wanted to bring him in, which the Ducks ultimately did on a tryout.

A key part in Bryzgalov's decision process could be that he's already also getting roughly $1.643 million annually from the Philadelphia Flyers, who'll be paying him for the next 12 years in accordance with the terms of the compliance buyout they did with him in 2013.

SUNRISE, Fla. – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 6-2 loss to Florida on Tuesday night …

-- Losing in one-sided fashion to a team that could be the Stanley Cup Final representative out of the Eastern Conference is one thing. Getting boat-raced for a second straight time, this one at the hands of a young Panthers squad for the second time this season is another.

There is a real air of concern around the Ducks now. Not in the sense of a strong season falling apart but more in that they’re now failing to correct the problems that creep into their game from time to time.

Defense and goaltending have been their running chief question marks and they didn’t provide any hopeful answers against a team that’s still a year away from playoff competition.

“I don’t want to single anybody out or anything but I mean we’re concerned with the amount of goals we’re giving up,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We’re a team that was in the top 10 defensively last year. And we think we’re a better team. We’re concerned about it.”

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Ducks recalled goaltender John Gibson from their American Hockey League team in Norfolk (Va.) on Tuesday as starter Frederik Andersen was put on injured reserve.

Gibson was on call Monday as the Ducks determined what to do with Andersen, who has a sore head and neck after being hit by the crossbar Sunday when Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm inadvertently tipped it over as he was defending against Tampa Bay's Ondrej Palat.

Andersen will have to miss at least three starts, making next week's rematch with the Lightning at home as the first chance he has to getting back in action.

"I think yesterday was the determination all day," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said as Andersen was unable to practice. "Do we need somebody? Do we not need somebody? Do we need somebody? Do we not need somebody?

"They made the decision that it's better being safe than sorry. That's what went into it and that's why Gibby's here today."

SAN JOSE – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night …

-- Just when you thought this was a team with a shutdown defense on top of its game.

The Ducks played a near-perfect game Tuesday in their 4-0 blanking of Vancouver and then did the absolute opposite two nights later in the Bay Area. Mistakes were aplenty and they didn’t have Frederik Andersen in goal to help cover them up.

Ilya Bryzgalov got the start as Andersen was meant to be saved for Friday’s massive tilt against Chicago at home. And he was as bad as the teammates in front of him, with the game totally falling apart on both in a five-goal second period.

But while the immediate focus is on Bryzgalov’s capabilities as a viable backup for Andersen, the big picture view might be the Sharks. We know they’ve been a maddeningly inconsistent team. We know the Ducks have big problems in dealing with them.

ANAHEIM – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 5-1 win over New Jersey on Friday night …

-- A second straight victory with a four-goal margin had Ducks television reporter Kent French using the words “unchartered territory” when he addressed Coach Bruce Boudreau with his first post-game question.

Boudreau liked that reference and it feels that way with this group. The Ducks have often been a high-wire act, either holding on to third-period leads or coming back from deficits or pulling out victories beyond regulation.

There’s often been one part of their game missing even as they’ve racked up 29 wins in 45 games. The Ducks have now put together two straight complete efforts, albeit against two run-of-the-mill Eastern Conference clubs in Toronto and New Jersey.

They'll take their good feelings into a Saturday night date with the Kings at Staples Center.

ANAHEIM -- The first try didn't look too promising. The second try was an abject failure. The third try will be watched closely.

Ilya Bryzgalov is getting a rare start in goal for the Ducks on Wednesday night as they take on the red-hot New York Rangers at Honda Center. It'll be the first time Bryzgalov has seen the net in a game since Dec. 20, a span of 19 days.

In that time, the Ducks and Bryzgalov believe that the veteran goalie has had the necessary time to sharpen his game after two appearances that made it look as if the 34-year-old wasn't nearly ready for NHL duty.

"We used that time to get myself as much as possible in physical shape. Movement shape," Bryzgalov said. "The game is a little bit different obviously, a different pace. But we try to bring myself to the good physical and good hockey condition."

The Ducks brought Bryzgalov in to back up Frederik Andersen as John Gibson and Jason LaBarbera were coming off lengthy injuries, with the club preferring to have Gibson and LaBarbera get their game back at their American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk (Va.)

OTTAWA – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Friday night …

-- It was bad. There’s no way to spin it. Ilya Bryzgalov in goal. The Ducks – or an apparition of the NHL’s first-place team – that were in front of him.

Let’s look at Bryzgalov. The Ducks are paying him some real good money to be a No. 3 option who has to be the No. 2 for now as they opted to have John Gibson get well in Norfolk. General Manager Bob Murray was watching his investment ($2.88-million salary cap hit, $1.9-million actual money) blow up in his first start from high up in Canadian Tire Centre.

Every shot began to look like an adventure after a while but this was the wild ride Murray signed up for in the mercurial Bryzgalov when his goaltending beyond Frederik Andersen was either on the training table (Gibson) or wrapped up in a bandage (Jason LaBarbera).

TORONTO – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night …

-- The goaltending question has reared its uneasy head once again. It also has the looks of one that will be revisited throughout the year, one the Ducks will need to get straightened out before the playoffs – assuming the current NHL points leader stays in its lofty position.

This is the team that used three netminders in their eventual seven-game loss to the Kings in the 2014 second round. Frederik Andersen’s wobbly effort against the Maple Leafs and the sheer presence of Ilya Bryzgalov doesn’t give the impression that everything is set in their net.

Did Andersen struggle because he’s simply in need of a rest? Maybe. He’s been in for 19 straight games and had just come off three starts of allowing just four goals total to Edmonton (twice) and Winnipeg.

ANAHEIM -- Hang around the game of hockey long enough and strange things can happen. Like Ilya Bryzgalov potentially returning to the Ducks.

The team has brought in Bryzgalov on a tryout contract and it is highly probable that they will sign the veteran netminder as a response to current backup Jason LaBarbera breaking a bone in his hand on Saturday night against San Jose.

ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun first reported the move by the Ducks on Wednesday morning. The Ducks had been talking to Bryzgalov's camp but the diagnosis of LaBarbera's injury expedited the decision to bring in the netminder, who started his career with the Ducks.

A Ducks spokesman said Bryzgalov is meeting with the team's chief physician, Dr. Craig Milhouse, on Wednesday. Bryzgalov is not slated to travel with the team on its two-game road trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg but is expected to skate at Honda Center on Thursday.